41–50 of 57 posts
Maybe they needed a place to store the dodecahedrons? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_dodecahedron
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44565806
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39102069
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24332244
Several theories on their purpose, most plausible (IMHO) is that that they were used for knitting.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/comments/17a17ju/roman_...
Maybe they needed a place to store the dodecahedrons? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_dodecahedron
The Roman Dodecahedrons were discussed on HN before. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44565806 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39102069 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24332244 Several theories on their purpose, most plausible (IMHO) is that that they were used for knitting. https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/comments/17a17ju/roman_...
Based on just this article, it seems far most likely to me that it was a place to hide during an attack. > And while three brave explorers in the 21st century once spent 48 hours in an erdstall, crawling to new sections whenever oxygen became scarce, it seems unlikely that they would have been constructed as hiding places, even temporary ones. Though they could have provided refuge for a small family, why would they…
Indeed: that would help reconcile the presumed secrecy with the fact that, also per the article, there are upwards of 2000 of these tunnel-structures that fall into this category. All across Central Europe. Aggressor knows THAT there's likely a safe-tunnel, but doesn't know exactly WHERE the safe-tunnel is, and whether it's worth taking the time to find... For that matter—A place to stash the kids from the census-tak…
The erdstall surely could not have been built with storage in mind, since their length and narrowness offer no advantages over a conventional and convenient cellar. And while three brave explorers in the 21st century once spent 48 hours in an erdstall, crawling to new sections whenever oxygen became scarce, it seems unlikely that they would have been constructed as hiding places, even temporary ones. Though they could have provided refuge for a small family, why would they be accessed from such public spaces? Or be too small for a large man or pregnant woman to fit through? The lack of exits is a further strike against this theory—if enemies became aware of such a tunnel being used as shelter, it would quickly become a death trap for its inhabitants. Besides, in either of these cases, one would expect at least some goods to have been left behind—remnants of food or clothing, cached or dropped valuables. Instead, there is nothing
You also need to look at the locations and context. There are several of these things in the region my family comes from and at the estimated time they were built there were no invaders or other problems that would justify using them as shelters. Not to mention that if there were, you'd hide your family in existing shelters in the surrounding forests or hills, not some cramped underground deathtrap.
There is a deep tradition of chthonic ascetic monasticism in Christianity. Many, many Churches from this same period have attached anchorite cells.
It is easy to imagine similar cells/tunnels being used, unremarked, by choice or coercion.
“it seems unlikely that they would have been constructed as hiding places, even temporary ones.”
What about hiding places for storage? As in, smuggling, illegal trade or evading taxes?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
No way I’d hide in a hole without another exit. And if I went to the trouble to dig a hidey- hole I’d prepare it with a jug of water and a snack.
If the alternative was being hacked to death, I venture to guess you probably would.
The theories proposed here are merely examples of human brains ability to come up with a fantastic story for anything in the absence of data. Ex falso quodlibet - from zero follows everything, if you have nothing you can just say anything you want, and it will "explain" your non-existing data perfectly /s
The extremely narrow passages, only one exit, bad air circulation, there is nothing that hints towards this being used for hiding, quite the opposite.
> And while three brave explorers in the 21st century once spent 48 hours in an erdstall, crawling to new sections whenever oxygen became scarce, it seems unlikely that they would have been constructed as hiding places, even temporary ones
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There would still be signs. The food rots - but it would leave traces.
Only if the tube was used for long enough to need food. If you are hiding your family from almost certain death, 24 hours with no food or water in a cool dark cave is a possibility.